


Ancient Light

by ExpressAndAdmirable



Series: The Heroes of Light [17]
Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game), Dungeons & Dragons - All Media Types, Final Fantasy I
Genre: Dream Sequence, Dreams and Nightmares, Drow, F/F, Tiefling, Werewolf
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-26
Updated: 2017-12-26
Packaged: 2019-02-22 04:42:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13159512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ExpressAndAdmirable/pseuds/ExpressAndAdmirable
Summary: Lux falls asleep at the end of an impossibly long day and once again tries to process in dreams.





	Ancient Light

Lux was fairly certain she was experiencing a level of exhaustion previously unfelt by mortal bones. It would not have surprised her to discover that the universe had somehow squeezed extra hours into the day specifically to weary them.

They had awoken from the night’s rest to discover Sol cured of her mortal curse, but beholden to a shadowy fey creature who had appeared to her in a dream. It had only gotten darker and more frightening from there: an evil sigil etched onto the floor of a room, summoned demons, Sol nearly drowning in a vat of acid, the betrayal of Grulis Thorncurl and the murder of Bornelius, adrenaline and grief and terror and tears. And then, to cap it all, three of their party had transformed into godsdamned werewolves, Sol amongst them. And none could yet change back. Lux had officially hit her limit.

But right now, in the eye of the storm, Lux was content. She and Sol had taken first watch, grateful for any moment of relative privacy. They were still coming to terms with Sol’s lupine transformation, Sol settling into the newness of her body and Lux hoping vainly for some guidance on what affection becomes appropriate when one’s dajyr suddenly has fur and a snout. But despite her new face, Sol’s eyes had remained the same, and there was a comfort in that. She pulled Lux into her arms as they watched the shadows of the forest and she was warm and soft and safe and Lux was simply too tired to dwell on the fact that she was covered in fur. Her lack of armour was almost preferable, though Lux knew better than to mention it. She rested her head on the were-Drow’s shoulder and drew her crossbow into her lap, feeling her eyelids grow heavy. She blinked. She was on watch, it was her responsibility to stay awake. She blinked again.

She slept.

_Sol’s fingers moved against Aviva’s skin, drawing a soft sigh from the Tiefling’s lips. Aviva reached up to touch Sol’s face, running her own fingers over the weblike pattern of the scar on her cheek. Sol turned her head to press her lips to Aviva’s palm and Aviva caught her under the chin, drawing her close and claiming her with a kiss. She leaned back as their connection deepened, tangling her hands in Sol’s endless hair as the Drow pressed against her._

_“I love you,” Aviva whispered._

_They were no longer alone. A Drow in full armour stood at attention and saluted, his gaze dark and hard as steel. Another soldier appeared beside him. Then another behind them, and another, as if stepping from a fog. An army, stretching as far as Aviva could see. Instinctively, she moved to wrap her arms around Sol, to shelter her from the memories and deny these ghosts their prize. But Sol shook off her embrace and stood, clad in fine chainmaille and heavy plate. No symbols of Tyr adorned her. The Drow at the head of the army addressed her by full rank and name, then continued in a language Aviva could not understand. Sol nodded._

_Aviva scrambled to her feet, dimly aware she was wearing nothing but the blanket she had wrapped around herself. Stepping in front of the lieutenant, she seized Sol by the arm. “Sol, you have to listen to me. You can’t do this. You can’t get lost in your past. These are shades, nothing more. They don’t have to control you. Sol, please!” Her voice echoed and reverberated through the darkness. Sol looked at her, momentarily confused, then her beautiful eyes hardened and she wrenched her arm free. She barked an order to the Drow behind Aviva, as if the Tiefling were nothing but empty air._

_For a moment Aviva froze, fear creeping into her heart. She had known this might happen. Deep within her, she knew that time was a wheel and eventually Sol’s past would turn towards them again. She knew well the power of names and the identities they carried with them. How easy it could be to wear them like heavy cloaks, one at a time, casting the others to the ground to be abandoned and forgotten. But there was one thing the spectres of Sol’s history did not anticipate: her._

_Letting the blanket fall, Aviva took Sol’s face in her hands and forced her to meet her eyes. She spoke slowly, clearly, willing her words to hit their mark. “You are still you. Do you hear me? Whichever name, whichever title, whichever face, they don’t change the core of you. You were not different then. You are not different now. You are_ you. _And I won’t let you forget that. I’ll never let you forget it. You must remember that who you were then and who you are now are the same. They’re both you. There’s only you. Nothing but you, my sunshine.”_

_Sol blinked, and saw her. “Aviva.”_

_The waiting army faded. Sol no longer wore the garb of war, but a simple silver gown that matched Aviva’s gold one. Aviva drew her into her arms and held her tightly, protectively. In this moment, they were safe._

_“I told you,” Aviva murmured into Sol’s hair. “I’ll always keep you grounded.”_

_Sol kissed her._

“Aviva.”

Lux lifted her head from Sol’s shoulder with a start. She mumbled an acknowledgement as she straightened, turning to look at Sol’s wolfish face and smiling sleepily. “Hi sunshine.”

The return smile did not quite translate on Sol’s muzzle, but came through clearly in her eyes (and in the unconscious wag of her tail). “Our watch is over, time to lie down. Let’s put you to proper sleep.” She paused. “Are you alright? You were muttering.”

Disjointed images from Lux’s dream flashed through her mind, and for a moment she had no response. But then she remembered the sensation of Sol’s kiss and she nodded with a soft smile. “I’m fine. Truly. Just sorting through things.” And she meant it. Some dreams were easier to interpret than others. “Very ready for proper sleep.” She pushed herself off from the log and unwrapped their bedrolls as Sol woke Wilhelm for the next watch. She curled up on the combined bedding, and shortly after, she felt Sol curl around her. Another secretly positive side effect of lupine form: no reverie.

Lux relaxed into a dreamless sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Title song by Allman Brown.
> 
> Follow me on Tumblr at @expressandadmirable for a proper table of contents for the Heroes campaign, commissioned character art, text-based roleplay snippets and more!


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